How the African American Community Foundation Supports North Carolina Nonprofits

Photo: Tudoran Andrei/shutterstock

Photo: Tudoran Andrei/shutterstock

Although approximately 35 percent of Charlotte, North Carolina’s population is Black, a far smaller percentage of the city’s donor dollars support Black philanthropy. One local foundation has been trying to change this since 1993; however, many local organizations are still unfamiliar with the work of the African American Community Foundation (AACF).

Here’s what nonprofits in and around Charlotte should know about securing a grant from this niche funder that prioritizes the needs of the local Black community.

Managed by the Foundation for the Carolinas

AACF awards its own grants and has its own board of advisors. However, it is managed by the Foundation for the Carolinas, and grantmaking activity ultimately flows through that community foundation. This is one of the Foundation for the Carolina’s special giving programs that aims to amplify the power of philanthropy through collaborative giving. Other special giving programs that operate through the Foundation for the Carolinas in this way are the New Generation of African American Philanthropists and the Charlotte Lesbian and Gay Fund.

Three Areas of Focus

AACF has a strategic grantmaking program that seeks to improve opportunity, leadership and civic participation in underserved and underrepresented Black communities. Its grants fall into three focus areas.

Public education grants assist students in public elementary, middle and high schools and also support out-of-school programs that serve children and youth from birth through age 18. Health grants support the health and nutrition of children and youth through age 18 and help fight diseases that disproportionately affect Black communities. AACF’s economic development grants support Black-owned businesses through targeted business development.

Recent grants have typically been $1,000, $1,500 or $2,500 each. Grantees include Home4me, the Vogue Room Foundation and the Black Leadership Social Capital Initiative.

An Annual Competitive Grant Cycle

AACF has awarded over $500,000 in grants since 1994 through its annual competitive grantmaking program. It seeks to promote Black philanthropy in each of these cycles. In the 2020 grant cycle, for example, AACF awarded grants in August in honor of Black Philanthropy Month’s Giving Black Day. The 2021 funding cycle and application process will open up in February 2021.

Grantmaking Extends Beyond Charlotte

Although Charlotte AACF’s main geographic focus, this philanthropic organization has a broader reach than just the city. Some grants go to groups in other parts of Mecklenburg County and in nearby counties. Across this region, annual grants typically total around $25,000.

To learn more about this funder and other groups that have a local focus on North Carolina communities, check out IP’s full profile of the African American Community Foundation in our Southeast funding guide.